Fruit-cleaning apparatus



(No, Model.)

.G. L HARRIS. FRUIT CLEANING APPARATUS.

N-o.:455,564,. Patented 131 ,1891,

A; Attorney,

Unrre TTES ia'rnni ji Prion,

HEORHE L. 'HAl-ZRIS, OF-BUI FALQ BLUFF, l l'iORllllA.

,Feu lT-Ct-EANING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 455,56L, dated J'ulyfi, 1891.

Application filed March 28, 1891.

is held bya flexible or yielding device of such nature that it readily adapts'itself to the fruit whatever be its size or shape, and a screw or worm shaft or other couveyer, which feeds the fruit along past the brush.

It also consists of means whereby the orange is moistened during a portion of the brushing or cleaning operation and for subsequently dryingit, and, furthe1 in the details of construction of the machine, all of which will'be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, wherein is illustrated a machine embodying my invention, Figure 1 is an end view of such maehine. Fig.2 is a top plan View, parts being broken away. Fig. I; is an end View form of the flexible or yielding pressing device detached. Figgi is a. plan view of another form of pressing device, showing position above the brush and advancingor feedin roller; and Fig.- 5 is a plan'view of another form of the invention employingtwo' feeding-rollers and a brush arranged between them, parts being broken away.

in the drawings, A represents their-amework of the machine or apparatus, over the topof the whole or a portion of which is mounted a bin or receptacle ll, into which the oranges or other fruit iobet rcated' are placed. The floor or bottom oi? th is bin. inclines towardthe front or head endajiigiemachine, where there is a, delivery-opening leading into a "feeding-chute ("r :1) a cylinder or ioll'er mounted longirain-nan in the frame, it being, provided atone end witha crank id or other 'suitablcde-z rice fordriving it. Upon its siu'faeo-areia ranged spi rail-ribs or worms E, which serve, as thewylin'der D is revolved, to advance the its being squeezed too tightly or injured .tween the'bru'sh and the roller.

sum No. 386,177. No model.)

worm-cylinder 1'); "The -preforre(1 form of brush is shown in higl'l, and consists of a stationary. hack carrying the bristles, arranged to.one sido'of and a little, above the center of the cylinder and with its brushing-face atsuch distance therefrom that the smallest size of fruit whichis to be ireatei -l will not fall between itand'the cylinder. The ln'ush-baek is preferably dovetailerhas shown at-f, and is slid lengthwise into suitable supports therefor carried by the frame-work t.v Th is permits the brushes to bo-easily removed and replaced when from any cause thisiis found desirable. in two or more sections by dividing it transversely, so that (one part or section may he removed and replaced without disturbing the other portions; l I

Instead of a flat stationary brush such as has been just described, I may employ a cylindrical brush, as shown at F, Fig. The cylinder- D'lis rotated in the direction of the arrow ii1l ig.1,and tends-to cari-rytho orange upward, so that there is no danger-of In order to gently force the orange against the bluish-surface, I have devised and make .use of a flexible or yielding pressing device, 'which bears upon the orange from above. The form ot' pressing device which I prefer to uscand which I have found to work mostsatisfactorily consists of apiece or pieces of slack cloth hung so "as to sag: down upon the I prefer to make the brushes fruit'asitais moved past thebrushaml lightly wei htod upon its uppersurl'ace.

( roprosents the cloth winch constitutes this: flexible prcsser. It is carried by a removable frame l I,- which is adapted to he slid intofwajs h on the nndcrside'of the bin-,1 immediately over-the path trarcrsed by-the oranges, as they arm-fed by the rollerD along, the face of thefbru'sh. 'lhef'ra'mes H-arc easily removahlefjfronrthe machine, and the.

cloths G;may beroadilywletachcd from the fru t, gangrene, with the ribs-l6,;is .pr ier ,irames thcy"being: he'ldi thereon hy 1 2 I ceases.

hooks i, over which the edges of the cloth are caughtforin any other suitable manner. The fram'e' culfrgifing the cloth" or cloths G, nrh'leh constitute ihc-pmsscr, may be of a 5 single. piecejof material, as shown in Fig. 3, or of twosidebars or pieces 71., to which the edgesdfthe cloth are secured, as shown in Fig.1.; Iprefer to divide theframe l-l trans.-

' verscly into two or more arts, so that one K "P0li'10n of the prcssermay he removed from the frame Without disturbing the other portionior portions. 7

fKK are light chains suspended from the way piece's hunder the. bin, as shown in Fig. r5 1, or- V ferred, from the frame or rack II,

as shownun l fig. 3, this last way of suspenslon being used when the cloth-supporting frame is of a single piece. These chains are placed at intervals of five-or six inches and ac sag down upon the cloth G- and serve as weights to hold the cloth down with a light yielding force upon the fruitwhich may be moving beneath them.

Instead of the weighted cloth-pressing device, I might employ as'eries of short pads G, Fig. 4, flexibly connected, as shown. These pads, resting upon the oranges as they passthrough the apparatus, hold them gently against; the brushes and. the. roller D, and by 0 reason'fof these flexible connections bear upon i the oranges of all sizes alike; but I much pre- -.fer the form of pressing device first described.

L is-a water-pipe arranged above the yielding presser and provided with a number of drip-cocks I. By opening to the proper extent the cocks at the head end of the machine a portion of the cloth-presse 5-G is wet, and the orangesare washed, aswell as brushed.- The cloth-near the tail or delivery end of the ma- 40 chine being dry wipes 01? and driesthe fruit before it passes from the machine.

In Fig. 5 l have shown a machine with two worm feeding-rollers D I) and a circular brushand two yielding pressingdevice's." In this machine the roller I) moves the oranges away from the head end of the machine to the tail end of the brush, where there is a transverse track or way M for the oranges, by which they-are conducted to'the other-roller D which moves them. backtoward the head end of the machine in contact with the side of the brush opposite that with which they engaged when moving in the opposite direction. A machine ,of this construction need 5 5 be only about one-half the length of a machine which-has but one feeding-roller. Of course twofiat stationary brushes upon the outer sides of the rollers D might be used instead of the one centrally-arranged brush. as shown The deliverychute through which the cleaned oranges are carried out of the machine (not shown) may lead. to an asserting machine or upon a table, when the oranges may-be pickedover and assorted by hand.

In all prior orange brushing, and cleaning machines of which I haveknowhulge it has 'roller for each aim of fruit in order to insure good results and to prevent. oranges of a small size from dropping through between the brush and the fccdi-ngroller.

With my machine'all'such adjustments are unnecessary, and I am enabled to pass the oranges directly to the machine in the unassorted condition in which they come from the grove, because the yielding pressing device which. I have described sags or falls down upon each individual fruit irrespective of its size as it is .passedalpng, embracing or cov ering' its-upper portion to a greater-or less.

extent and serving not only to"hold it in contact with the brush and feeding-roller, but also to wipe and clean it. to the cylinder acts alsoas a cleaner for the oi'ange,'and also, by reason of the certain amount of roughness which it gives to the roller, to cause the orange to roll, so that every portion of: its surface is thoroughly brushed and cleaned.

By making the racks or frames ll removable and detachably securing the cloths thereto I am enabled-to readily remove them whenever desirable, as when the cloths at the tail endof the machine become so moistened that theywill' not dry the oranges before they leavethe machine or when any part of the cloths become dirty, and when the frames are so removed the cloths may be easily taken oil 'of them and washed or dried.

I wish it to be understood that certain features of the present invention might be used upon or in connection with machines different from those illustrated. For instance, the cloth-covered roller might .be used as a'feeder or eonveyer in many difierentkinds of machines.

Wi-thoutlimiting myself to the precise con-" struction and arrangement of parts shown,

what I claim -is The cloth covering his 1'. In a fruit-cleaner, the combinati on of a brush or cleaner, a feeding device, and a press- ..ing device independent of the feeding device,

adapted to bear upon the fruit and hold it against the brush or cleaner, substantially as shown.

2. In a fruit-cleaning apparatus, the combination of a stationary brush, a feeding-cylinder, and a yielding presser adapted to bear sisting of weighted cloth or cloths, substantially as set forth.

i. In a fruit-cleaner, the combination of a brush, a feeding-cylinder, and a pressing device consisting oiu remoisiblc frame to which brush made fn separately-removnblo sec-- set forth.

are secured pieces of cloth and the chain's which bear upon thenpper side of the cloth, substantially as setfm'th -5. In a. ffuit-cleanmg'tho coinhirmtion of a bfnsh, a feeding-cylinder,"and a, yielding f presser bearing upon the fruit, made in sepw' rately-removable sect-ions; substantially as (h In a fruitlean'er, tho combination, with the advancing cylinder, of thevflat stationary do fohadvancing the oranges thi-on'gh thmaohin e; 'a dampening and clean tiun- 'uf the. feeding-cylinder, the;hm1sh,.tho yielding clothresser bearing upon the fruit,

and" meansfo'r moistehingE-th fruit at the head or feed end of the tially as set forth.

apparatus, substa-m- In testimony whereof'Iaflix my signature in .prosenco of two witnesses. v v

GEORGE L. HARRIS.

.f i Witnesses: I BARKER;

W. NEFF. 

